TATLER Velaa Private Island Noonu Atoll, Maldives →

in ,

Velaa Private Island is just that. It's so cleverly designed Vyou feel like you've got the whole place to yourself. Thatched suites, chunky decking and crisp, cool linens billow within tickling distance of the 'no filter' Indian Ocean, and the spa smacks of exclusivity too, with its My Blend by Clarins face and body treatments. A highlight is the Youth Synergy facial, a personalised 90 minutes ofcomputerised skin analysis and pampering. For the rest of your body, there's yoga on raised-tree and beachside meditation platforms with Srinath De Zoysa, a yogi from Sri Lanka. A session in the snow chamber (which is exactly like what it sounds) is weirdly pleasant, boosting circulation and leaving your skin pink and perky. Feast on fresh local fish and fruit and Parisian delights (all très French) by the pool or on the sand, or take things up a notch and dine on delicate East Asian dishes 70 feet up in Tavaru restaurant, a futuristic ivory tower jutting out of the sand. It's all rather gravity-defying - no wonder Elizabeth Hurley loves it here. BOOK IT Elegant Resorts (elegantresorts.co.uk; 01244 897517)